Information retrieved from electronic databases, e.g., information displayed on the Internet, such as by way of the World Wide Web, may be organized and presented according to hierarchically arranged categories. For example, many web sites include “site maps” that display an organization of web pages in a web site according to a hierarchical index. Further, numerous known web sites allow users to search for items, such as items in a directory, and present search results in a hierarchy.
Displaying information in a flat list, with each element having a descriptive name, is one approach for displaying information. Such a layout generally takes up a minimum of vertical space on a graphical user interface such as a computer screen. However, this method has the disadvantage of being generally difficult to scan for relevant information due to the length of the descriptive names, which can be long or otherwise cumbersome. Additionally, a user will likely not be able to understand how various pieces of information are related in a simple list format, e.g., how each piece of information is classified in relation to the other pieces of information that may be displayed. Lists therefore generally require users to read through the entirety of the list, including the entire length of each descriptive name for each element. This may be particularly cumbersome for larger lists of information covering broad categories of interest.
An alternative to a “flat” list is displaying information in a hierarchy. In a hierarchical layout, information may generally be presented in a structure which shows relationships between various pieces of information by grouping elements together in categories and subcategories.
Displaying a hierarchy of information is generally useful for helping a user quickly understand how information is organized and which categories and subcategories of information in the hierarchy might be most beneficial and relevant. A user can generally scan higher-level categories in a hierarchically arranged list to decide which higher-level categories are most relevant, without having to look at every subcategory displayed in the hierarchy. However, displaying information hierarchically generally consumes a large amount of vertical space on any graphical user interface through which the searcher may be viewing a hierarchically arranged set of information, because a hierarchical arrangement generally requires a separate line of text for each category and subcategory presented. Information displayed in a hierarchy of information may therefore require excessive scrolling or additional sorting by a user, who may find it burdensome to view a lengthy and detailed hierarchy of information, and further may find it difficult to determine which information in the hierarchy is of greatest interest. Such difficulties are particularly acute where a large quantity of search results is presented in a hierarchy.
Accordingly, there is a need for the ability to provide for displaying information in a hierarchical arrangement that presents categories and sub-categories of information most likely to be of interest to a user, thereby facilitating the user obtaining information that is, or is likely to be, of the greatest interest. Further, it would be beneficial to present information to users in a hierarchical arrangement while consuming as little space as possible on a display so as to minimize the need for scrolling or additional sorting by users.